Tuesday, October 15, was Ada Lovelace Day! It’s a day to celebrate the accomplishments of women in the technology fields. As such, it is only fitting I share with you the comic 2d Goggles, or, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage! The origin story of this comic was conceived for Ada Lovelace day, as a humorous way to tell the story of the first computer programmer. In our own history, the first computer was designed by a man named Charles Babbage. He called it the Difference Engine, which was never completed, and the programs Ada Byron Lovelace wrote were never used before her death at the age of 36. The ending of the first comic where the two of them succeed and continue on to fight crime was originally supposed to be a one off joke, but by popular demand it was spun into a small pocket universe where Babbage’s Difference Engine was completed and the digital era was begun over a hundred and fifty years early. A chain reaction of adventures, super villains and hijinks follow as a result. Scientific and technological heroes of nineteenth century England appear through out the comic, as well as Queen Victoria, who sees the Difference Engine’s application as an instrument for her plans of World Domination.
The comic is done in animation-type-style, with thick brushstrokes of black ink and impressibly researched anatomy and machinery. Indeed, one of the joys of the comic is the volumes of research, primary sources, and the reference and practice images. The comic is presented in a succession of short and long issues as well as a collection of shorter one shots, with a long book currently in production! Professional delays, referred to as giant monsters, have occurred when the author is overloaded by her day job as an animator, frequently of giant monsters in CGI action movies. One creature you may know of that she animated was the Kracken Liam Neeson was always shouting about releasing. You can check out her impressive recipe, including her work on The Iron Giant, here at imdb.
This is completely historically accurate. Don’t believe me? Check the sources!
